I come from an odd high school where midterms and finals have been completely banned. While this was a blessing at the time, it was a curse when I entered college and had no idea how to study. Over the course of my time at Boston University, I’ve picked up on a few habits and tricks that have positively impacted my grades, workload, and overall wellbeing.
The first and most important tip is to stop giving yourself “work days” and “rest days.” It may seem efficient, but the reality is counterintuitive. See, if you separate your days by work and rest, you’re not actually getting enough free time. Plus, designating your day a “work day” and then not getting everything done may end up being discouraging or disappointing for you. Instead, you should try the Pomodoro technique. With this study style, you have 20 minutes on task and a five minute break. However, you can customize this to your liking! I’ve found that 40 minutes on task and a 15 minute break is my sweet spot. Practicing the Pomodoro technique allows you to combine enough work and rest into your day.
So, what should you be doing during your rest time? It’s easy for us to want to open TikTok or other forms of social media during our designated rest time, but there’s so much more you could be doing. I’ve learned that working my hobbies and interests into my rest time has made studying feel much more beneficial overall. By replacing most of my social media breaks with drawing, yoga, or cooking, I keep my brain active for my next time slot of studying and get to do something I love. By the time you’re done studying, you’ll have also completed some fun tasks that make you happy!
One of my big questions coming into college was about how long I should actually be studying for. While this depends on your own techniques and workload, there is a basic outline of how studying should work. It’s important to remember that your brain gets tired and will stop absorbing information at a certain point. After this point, your studying may feel like a blur. I’ve found that my sweet spot for brain activity is in the morning after breakfast up until eating lunch. This gives me a solid three to four hours of prime studying/hobby time, and yet feels like I still have an entire day ahead of me! Due to my class schedule, I can only study like this on weekends, but if you have the opportunity you should definitely give it a try.
My last tip is as follows: be kind to your mind. It’s common as a university student to get caught up in impostor syndrome or feeling inadequate among your peers, but remember that you are where you are for a reason. If you’re studying something you love, remember why you love it. If you’re studying something you don’t love as much, power through it. It’s hard to give your brain and body breaks when you feel like there’s so much on your plate, but trust me, everyone needs it. You come before your schoolwork.
As hard as it is to stay on top of time management, I hope implementing these tips into your study routine will help. Remember to stay kind to your mind this midterms season!
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